Car Getting Hot...showing On The Meter...

[sunny747]

Dear all,

since yesterday night, my old lancer is getting hot while drivin.....i have no idea why...i checked the water level and filled with fresh water.........it seems two of the fan was functioning ......AC is as cold as before...still i can see from the meter it is fluctuating .......it usually remains on 50% but now it as going as up as to 80%. ......even when i drive on 5th gear.........

my car is on LPG and i don't use oil much..just when i start it.

i'm getting worried about it. I'll take it to mechanic but before that i would like to know what's going on...i have noticed they always try to rip me off even though i'm coming with an old car....

now i have to drive back home driving at least 20 km on the high way.......

suggestions please?

[Cuban]

Get the cooling system pressure tested, possible leak in a gasket. After a long run does any water leak from the car?

[funfun]

"now i have to drive back home driving at least 20 km on the high way...."

take plenty of water and try not to let the gauge on your picture go too high, if it does pull in and let cool, easier said than done here but you can use water too cool engine/ radiator/ etc. try stoping off as thais do in shade under a bridge etc

".it seems two of the fan was functioning"

these fans electric and on the raidiator or is it a fixed fan running on a belt?

chris

[Zeid]

start by

check fan

check thermostat

if thermostat rusted and bad remove till you reach a mechanic i drove my car with no thermostat for 3 years.

in hot weather not cold

[jdinasia]

1) flush the radiator and test it

2) replace the thermostat

3) check fan belt and fan

[Thaiboxer]

Overheating is generally caused by a loss of coolant, although stop and go driving in hot weather can do it too. It could be a blown gasket as Cuban said. Is there steam coming out of the exhaust after the engine is warmed up? That means coolant is being burned inside the engine. Also, check for leaks from the side of the engine block where you see plugs...these are the core plugs and look a bit like large buttons. Those leaked on my old Toyota. Also, check the hoses leading to and from the engine/radiator for leaks and also check the water pump (my water pumped leaked too).

[Zeid]

on second thoughts sell that car

[goldfish]

on second thoughts sell that car

I second that. Ok, sunny, on a serious note I've been advising you to find a competant mechanic since you bought that car and just do as he says. Someone gave you a the address of somewhere close, I'll reprint it for you

Depending upon your budget, unless you have a reliable mechanic or have a referral to a reliable mechanic, you may want to consider having the Lancer checked at TestCar (http://www.testcar.co.th/english.index.php). It's located in Bangkok, on Srinakarin Road. At >Bht3k for a full inspection, it's not cheap, but like a good mechanic may very likely save you a lot more Baht in the long run. Here's what its website says it inspects:

TestCar cover everything in the car from the ECU Check (car computer system) through the engine system including the HP (Engine power) of the car compared with the standard from the manufacturer. We also conduct full tests for all safety systems including the brakes and shock absorbers. We also conduct a chassis and body check. For this particular test we use the latest technology in the world that includes a Laser scanning system to measure the car frame in a precise way as the human eye can`t detect these sorts of defects. Last but not least we check the interior, the tyres condition and basically we look out for any evidence the car may have a problem.

The car's done over 200,000km and runs on gas. Stop trying to make it go faster, take it to these people and do as they suggest. Good luck

[Lickey]

Put a torch or some kind of light on the engine side of the radiator, look through the front at the light, if you can see it clearly, ok, radiator matrix is not blocked, if not, use a a low pressure washer to clean the cooling matrix, you can imagine after a rain, then dust and insects it will get jammed up and cause high tempeptures, give it a try before you have chassis checked!!

[warwick7735]

Hi

If thats as high as the needle goes, you got nothing to worry about, its still in the normal section of the guage.

The sudden change in needle position could just be the temp sender on the head giving up the ghost, so the resistance readings have altered.

Check to see if the fans turn on and off with there thrmostats on the radiator, if so the water isnt getting that hot, because if it was they would be running all the time (Check this with air con off as turning on air con turns on the fans)

If it was head gasket problems this would increase pressure in the water sytem and the temp would just continue to rise as exhaust fumes enter the water, squeeze the hoses to see if they feel hard or not, indicating an increase. If they feel hard take it to a main dealer, they can put a a syringe device over the expansion vessel and check for CO in the water.

Thermostats generally work or they dont, resulting in a needle going into the red.

If it was my car I wouldn;t panic I'd just keep an eye on it over the next few days to see if the needle settles in its new position.

hope this helps

[Hssl]

Sound like the termostat to me - To check. Take out the termostat - get a bowl of boiling hot. Put it in - if it remains shut then a new one is in order!

[Rdrokit]

When was the last time the radiator was flushed and new antifreeze put in? Should be done at least every 5 years. If you are just putting water in the radiator and there is no antifreeze then rust will start to build up in the radiator and start blocking the small tubes that your radiator is made of. The more blocked tubes the higher your temp will get. Have the radiator pressure flushed and new coolant (antifreeze) put in. Should not cost over 2000 to 3000 baht.

[stress]

-Check coolant leakage

-Clean radiator or maybe replace it with bigger one

-Check water pump

etc.

[sunny747]

thanks for the reply guys. i have noticed when i put water, after driving about 1 hour, the water reduces to 50% and the engine gets hot. Not only that, when i park my car after driving, i notice all the hot water pressures out from the cylinder.

However, since the local mechanic always try to rip me off, i thought it is time for me to give to mitsubishi service center. I have taken my car to srinakarin mitsubishi and they will check and let me know the estimate cost for whole d-check.

i might need your support again once they quote the price to me.

thanks so much..

[funfun]

"i might need your support again once they quote the price to me."

no, car will be fine, You, will Need These help

!!

[sunny747]

"i might need your support again once they quote the price to me."

no, car will be fine, You, will Need These help

!!

:D

oh dear!! do you think they will over charge me? .........at least i don't expect them to charge me extra.......as it is mitsubishi service center with show room.....and i guess i'm dealing with the manager there as she is the only one who can speak english........jesus! i hate this problems..

[funfun]

"i might need your support again once they quote the price to me."

no, car will be fine, You, will Need These help

!!

:D

oh dear!! do you think they will over charge me? .........at least i don't expect them to charge me extra.......as it is mitsubishi service center with show room.....and i guess i'm dealing with the manager there as she is the only one who can speak english........jesus! i hate this problems..

na youll be ok, your dealing with guys that should know the car upside down and should be able to quote on what is damaged now (if anything) and what caused the problem (if anything different)

now dont forget you can still take the car away with the report and shop around or if price is fair let them deal with it!

but taking it away may lead to your macanic having up ya again!!!!!

let us know sunny, at a guess ill go with fan related problem!

chris

[sunny747]

Chri ...could you please tell me how much it would cost for a heart surgery in pattaya hospital?

i just got a fax from the mitsubishi center ....stating my car has lot of problems ...........my car is lancer 1993..i bought for cheap price and the owner said he had hardly any time for service.........well, i just had hot radiator and this is what they quote to me.

i don't know i should spend this much money for this old car........but for the time being, can anybody suggest which one shall i got for to reduce the hot...

Oring distributor 71 baht

Gasket eng oil filter cap 45 baht

Pad kit fr brake 2237 baht

End assy tie rod 2280 baht 2 piece

Motor radiator cooling fan 5790 baht

Hose radiator lwr 112 baht

Hose radiator upr 266 baht

Seal kit p/s gear 2060 baht

Oil paw eng 813 baht

Hose p/s dil pump 1172 baht

Bracket eng fr mounting 1865 baht

Brake fluid 82 baht

Belt timing set 2950 baht

Engine oil 762 baht

t/m fluid 237 baht

p/s fluid 190 baht

belt alternator 315 baht

belt a/c 195 baht

belt p/s 448 baht

clean radiator 400 baht

center weels 610 baht

service labor 5000 baht

total 29, 853 baht

[Phil Conners]

Get a second opinion

[funfun]

well theres 2 ways of looking at it, if you want to keep car in my mind!

get it done

well aint too much money and sometimes its better the devil you know, but that includes a service etc so not that bad of a shock, but not shopped about!

just get done the heating problem

Motor radiator cooling fan 5790 baht

Hose radiator lwr 112 baht

Hose radiator upr 266 baht

clean radiator 400 baht

looking at it, maybe only that then, get service done later!

only problem with putting things off they tend to get worse rather than better and can cause more problems!

ie if they not making work up (is common in uk) End assy tie rod 2280 baht 2 piece maybe they bad to which if i read it right you could lose ya steering, but maybe only have a split in one of the boots which is common on older cars, not 100% right but no big deal!

i would be tempted to turn up at garage and ask to see all defective bits on car first, brake pads (in uk are a bounus item ie) they not that thick to start with so depends how low, centre wheeels thats i would think wheel alienment, very rarely even carried out (uk)

clean radiator, well thats not a big job and prob wont get more than a top up!

timming belt, have you got any previous paperwork stating if this has already been done and how many miles ago?

go take a look sunny and id prob just get fan done, and belts if they look cracked and put them in promise land to return at at later date!

let me know how ya get on mate!

[Sojourner]

Dear all,

since yesterday night, my old lancer is getting hot while drivin.....i have no idea why...i checked the water level and filled with fresh water.........it seems two of the fan was functioning ......AC is as cold as before...still i can see from the meter it is fluctuating .......it usually remains on 50% but now it as going as up as to 80%. ......even when i drive on 5th gear.........

my car is on LPG and i don't use oil much..just when i start it.

i'm getting worried about it. I'll take it to mechanic but before that i would like to know what's going on...i have noticed they always try to rip me off even though i'm coming with an old car....

now i have to drive back home driving at least 20 km on the high way.......

suggestions please?

New car dealers worldwide make their money on service and parts, very little profit when they sell a car. Find a couple of independant garages and have them look at the problem/s. By the way let me know when you're out on the road so I don't accidently find myself in front of you, i.e. "replace brake pads"

[culicine]

Its actually not that expensive given the number of parts and the labour involved (I got a quote from honda for my airbag sensor - almost 16000 baht!!). Do take your list and costs and ask at a few other garages (they will also want your business so they might just replace things that really do need replacing, so the cost might get lowered). The timing belt is important so make sure it's checked properly and replaced if necessary. You have 219K on the clock, so if its on the original belt (or even the second belt), it should be replaced. I've seen 100K intervals for the timing belt to be replaced. Fixing the tierods should make your suspension feel better...tighter.

[sunny747]

well theres 2 ways of looking at it, if you want to keep car in my mind!

get it done

well aint too much money and sometimes its better the devil you know, but that includes a service etc so not that bad of a shock, but not shopped about!

just get done the heating problem

Motor radiator cooling fan 5790 baht

Hose radiator lwr 112 baht

Hose radiator upr 266 baht

clean radiator 400 baht

looking at it, maybe only that then, get service done later!

only problem with putting things off they tend to get worse rather than better and can cause more problems!

ie if they not making work up (is common in uk) End assy tie rod 2280 baht 2 piece maybe they bad to which if i read it right you could lose ya steering, but maybe only have a split in one of the boots which is common on older cars, not 100% right but no big deal!

i would be tempted to turn up at garage and ask to see all defective bits on car first, brake pads (in uk are a bounus item ie) they not that thick to start with so depends how low, centre wheeels thats i would think wheel alienment, very rarely even carried out (uk)

clean radiator, well thats not a big job and prob wont get more than a top up!

timming belt, have you got any previous paperwork stating if this has already been done and how many miles ago?

go take a look sunny and id prob just get fan done, and belts if they look cracked and put them in promise land to return at at later date!

let me know how ya get on mate!

thanks Cris......i really wanted this. Well, when i bought my 2nd hand car... a friend suggested me to keep another 20 grand to fix it. Well, i go today evening..they will explain me the problems..........

i really appreciate your support. This forum rocks!!

[sunny747]

Its actually not that expensive given the number of parts and the labour involved (I got a quote from honda for my airbag sensor - almost 16000 baht!!). Do take your list and costs and ask at a few other garages (they will also want your business so they might just replace things that really do need replacing, so the cost might get lowered). The timing belt is important so make sure it's checked properly and replaced if necessary. You have 219K on the clock, so if its on the original belt (or even the second belt), it should be replaced. I've seen 100K intervals for the timing belt to be replaced. Fixing the tierods should make your suspension feel better...tighter.

great....thanks for the tips...i was confused about this belt thingy.

[culicine]

Its actually not that expensive given the number of parts and the labour involved (I got a quote from honda for my airbag sensor - almost 16000 baht!!). Do take your list and costs and ask at a few other garages (they will also want your business so they might just replace things that really do need replacing, so the cost might get lowered). The timing belt is important so make sure it's checked properly and replaced if necessary. You have 219K on the clock, so if its on the original belt (or even the second belt), it should be replaced. I've seen 100K intervals for the timing belt to be replaced. Fixing the tierods should make your suspension feel better...tighter.

great....thanks for the tips...i was confused about this belt thingy.

No problems. At least with the genuine mitsubishi dealer they should at least be honest, though they will probably also be conservative as to what needs to be done. If a part looks like its on its way out, but still useable, they will suggest to change it. Luckily I have a timing chain (and not a belt), so that saved me some money at my last 100K service. They aren't cheap, but its well worth replacing if its worn. No point in taking risks with your engine!

[dumball]

Sound like the termostat to me - To check. Take out the termostat - get a bowl of boiling hot. Put it in - if it remains shut then a new one is in order!

Just toss the thermostat , the only purpose of a thermostat is to bring the engine up to working temperature as quickly as possible , it also resticts some of the flow .In a cold climate it could be usefull , but in Thailand ?

[dumball]

Hi

If thats as high as the needle goes, you got nothing to worry about, its still in the normal section of the guage.

The sudden change in needle position could just be the temp sender on the head giving up the ghost, so the resistance readings have altered.

Check to see if the fans turn on and off with there thrmostats on the radiator, if so the water isnt getting that hot, because if it was they would be running all the time (Check this with air con off as turning on air con turns on the fans)

If it was head gasket problems this would increase pressure in the water sytem and the temp would just continue to rise as exhaust fumes enter the water, squeeze the hoses to see if they feel hard or not, indicating an increase. If they feel hard take it to a main dealer, they can put a a syringe device over the expansion vessel and check for CO in the water.

Thermostats generally work or they dont, resulting in a needle going into the red.

If it was my car I wouldn;t panic I'd just keep an eye on it over the next few days to see if the needle settles in its new position.

hope this helps

When a cylinder head gasket leaks , it is engine pressure that enters the coolant not exhaust fumes , the coolant can only rise to a certain pressure as the rad cap blows off at 28lbs , that is why you have an overflow container .Should it be a head gasket . you should have it replaced , because , should anti-freeze leak into the oil(which it often does) it will eat the coating on the con-rod and main bearing shells giving you a problem you do not want to know about . Squeezing the top hose realy hard , you should see coolant going into the overflow container because you easily over-come the rad cap 28lbs , replace the cap if you cannot do this . Radiators should be back flushed and coolant replaced every 2 years maximum , as the coolant deteriorates and can restrict its effectiveness .

[Farma]

Just toss the thermostat , the only purpose of a thermostat is to bring the engine up to working temperature as quickly as possible , it also resticts some of the flow .In a cold climate it could be usefull , but in Thailand ?

I beg to differ dumball.

This restriction is also required in hot climates. Without restriction, coolant doesn’t have sufficient time to cool as it flows through the radiator. You end up with the same overheating problems.

The thermostat is there for a purpose or engine manufacturers wouldn’t have fitted it in the first place.

If your ever stuck in the middle of nowhere with a dodgy thermostat I suggest you keep the washer part of the thermostat installed to provide coolant restriction.

[dumball]

Just toss the thermostat , the only purpose of a thermostat is to bring the engine up to working temperature as quickly as possible , it also resticts some of the flow .In a cold climate it could be usefull , but in Thailand ?

I beg to differ dumball.

This restriction is also required in hot climates. Without restriction, coolant doesn't have sufficient time to cool as it flows through the radiator. You end up with the same overheating problems.

The thermostat is there for a purpose or engine manufacturers wouldn't have fitted it in the first place.

If your ever stuck in the middle of nowhere with a dodgy thermostat I suggest you keep the washer part of the thermostat installed to provide coolant restriction.

You are correct in regard to later models , especialy fuel injected engines , because they are required to run at higher temperatures for increased efficiency , also the rad caps(dependant on manufacturer) have a lower blow off pressure , somewhere between 5/20lbs . However , we were , i believe , discussing and old model with high mileage in which the coolant has most likely not been changed in a long time , by deterioration , this allows electrolosis to cause partial restriction in the radiator tubes , henceforth , increased flow will assist in keeping the temperature at an acceptable level . Your later model also has fuel feed metering , which changes the amount of fuel delivered to compensate for temperature changes . Apples and oranges anyone ?

[Farma]

I was also referring to older 1980’s non fuel injected models. Apart from some personal experience with a similar problem to the OP in outback Australia (blown head gasket) the rest has been with poorly maintained older 2wd Hilux type pickups and V8 Chevy blazers operating in Middle Eastern deserts.

Fresh coolant (does wadi water count ) helps the car run cooler, as does a clean radiator. Restricting the coolant flow is a necessity. It’s also common to see the Bedouin's snip the legs of the thermostat, throw the body away, but keep the thermostat washer fitted whenever they have overheating problems.